Thomas R. Carper: “I would say to our witnesses, this Committee has a pretty good reputation for partnerships.”

Last year, the Environment and Public Works Committee held, I think, not one, but a couple of hearings on permitting, common theme at our hearings, on the importance of public engagement.

I would say there is a lesson here for both of us, and one of those is to make clear I am always ready to take your calls, your meeting, whatever you want and engage.

Thank you for your passion, and I would ask that we spend the rest of this day dealing with this.

Public engagement can build trust, it can increase public buy-in, can help resolve issues, can help prevent litigation, and ultimately it can save time and money.